The Independent Soldier
by AnonymousVulture
Summary: In the city of Buffalo, two teens stopped believing in the spirits of the holidays. But when one of them gets into a fatal accident, she reincarnates into a spirit the next day. She's now the spirit of the 4th of July! Now she must get her depressed friend to believe in her along with other people or else she disappears. But with the help of the Guardians, she just might survive.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Spring was coming to a quick close as summer's heat crawled up on the people who lived in Buffalo, New York. It was mid May and everyone went on with their day in the weather that was warming up to a degree that some children played in a backyard pool. But on this day two teens, a girl and a boy, walked down the street on their way to the town library. The girl has shoulder length straightened brown hair with brown sugar skin and the boy has short black hair and pasty skin. Together they walked, talking all the while about what they might check out at the large library just a few more blocks away from them.

"They might have new volumes of _Ikigami, _I hope they do, that's an awesome manga series!" The girl cried out with glee as she raised her fist in the air. The boy gave her a questioning glance but nodded in agreement as they continued to walk.

"Yeah I want to read that series but _Otomen _and _Emma _are also good ones." The boy replied as they continued their way down the sidewalk. "How did your Easter go?"

"Meh, pretty well. My cousin's siblings still believe that the Easter Bunny still exists but I guess they can still imagine it. Hey, maybe next spring you can dress up as a giant rabbit and entertain them." The girl joked as she chuckled loudly. The boy glared at her.

"You're an ass April, I'm not doing that nor will I ever will."

"That's why you will never entertain at birthday parties, you'd cuss those poor little kids out or tell them something disturbing." The girl, April, said with a laugh that brought tears to her eyes. The boy chuckled in agreement as he opened his mouth to respond.

"Yeah, and _James the Bunny _doesn't have a cool ring to it." The boy, James, called as the two of them laughed some more, getting closer to their destination. The sun hovered in the air, steadily beating its rays upon the two as they crossed a side street, now alongside the busy street where cars buzzed almost every second. The friends continued to talk, unknown of the danger that being so close to the street possessed. Suddenly, the two book craving teenagers whipped their heads towards the sound of violently squealing tires that belonged to a speeding motorcycle, three different colors flying as the driver tried to maneuver a sharp turn but the two wheels failed beneath it. The driver and the cycle skidded on it's side into a telephone pole, causing it to tilt but not fall.

The driver was still dazed and had not realized the danger he is in yet as he laid there sandwiched between the pavement and the handlebars. April, being the selfless person she is, dashed over to the man and frantically tried to free the man by tugging his limp feet but no avail. Abruptly, the telephone wire ripped free and dangled centimeters above an increasing puddle of gasoline, threatening to spark a giant flame.

"April!" James called in genuine alarm, slightly scared to take a single step towards the fire hazard. But April knew about the live wire and man who was just rendered unconscious, she almost had him free and she could see people stopping their cars and taking pictures all the while staying away from the huge puddle that seeped under her shoes.

Some people dared to exit their car and call 911 or attempt to help the struggling teen. Just now April jerked up the man's arms and he was free from his leaking car. Now he wasn't exactly heavy but it was a small struggle as she looped his arm over her neck and limped towards the middle of the road so the paramedics could have easy access.

_Fwossh!_

April turned around to see James screaming and spark from the wire daintily make its way into the puddle which turned into a violent flame that quickly spread. She quickly tried to run but every other step was a slip and slide as she tried to balance both of them in the flammable liquid. The fire quickly ran up against her right side so she swerved to her left, almost to the middle of the street. But the puddle already spread near the middle as cars quickly drove away to avoid burning. The sudden sound of wood cracking got the attention of the scared teens and James screamed out.

"The pole is falling!" James cried as he tried to find April in the tall wall of flames. April glanced back to actually see part of the telephone pole burning and giving away, its crash pad was in her general direction. Seeing what she needed to do, she gathered her strength and threw the man through the flickering flame, the sound of people rushing to the man's aid filled April's ears. She tried to dash through the fire before more blisters appeared on her skin and more smoke filled her lungs.

But the pole crashed down on her leg, clamping her to the ground. She tried to roll the burning log off her, but it was no use, the smoke clouded her glasses and ash covered her hair.

"April, where are you?!" James yelled as he burst through the flames, trying to search for his friend through the smoke. But she was already unconscious so he squatted down and rolled off the black piece of wood. He dragged her out of the fire and she was taken from him by the paramedics who put her in the truck and drove off as more pulled up. A fire truck was already there taming the fire as people stood by taking pictures like it was a scene from a movie. But in reality, two people were sent on their way to the hospital in critical condition, no one knowing who will make it out alive and who will be left remembered by the crowd.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys thanks for checking out this new story which I think will go really far because this is really good and based off of real life stuff but don't worry the Guardians will appear soon, maybe chapter 4/5. But please review your opinion on this fanfic and sorry bout the chapter being kind of short- I lost some inspiration and I feel it holds more suspense and emotion that way. **

**-Anonymous Vutlure**

**Chapter 2**

_Tonight we bring you news on the motorcycle accident on Bryant Avenue involving a man who was under the influence of alcohol and a teenage girl who had the urge to help him. We are honoring this teen for physically getting the man free from his trapped state and dragging him across the leaking gasoline which was from his vehicle as a live wire dangled above the puddle. But this ended in tragedy when a spark ignited the puddle and the wooden telephone pole fell upon the girl but not before she threw the unconscious man to safety. Both of them are in critical condition at St. David's Hospital and we'll get back to this story after eyewitness inter-_

James clicked off the television with the remote and let it slip out of his hand and onto the hospital bed he was in. He wore a pale blue hospital gown and had dozens of white bandages wrapped around his arms and around his face. He was told he has third degree burns, but he would trade his injuries with the teenage hero, April, any day. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and in came a petite nurse with a grave expression on her face. James sat up straighter and opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a hoarse cough as his throat started to burn from the remaining smoke and soot.

"Calm down, you still have to let your throat heal. April is still in critical condition and her burns and heart rate aren't staying stable. Are you her friend?"

"Y-yes." James croaked out as he felt like the worst is yet to come.

"Chances are, she won't make it ou-"

"No!" James yelled, ignoring the pain in his chest. "She will make it out alive, she has to and I know she will!" The nurse looked surprised at his outburst but slowly shook her head as she padded her way to his bedside. She sat on the bed and gave James a stern look.

"This is not time to be in denial, my job is to tell you the honest truth and even though it's not what anyone wants to hear, I have to tell you what's happening!" She called out, her dark tired eyes burning into James'. Suddenly there was a loud crash and the nurses were shouting to one another for medicines and blood bags. The light brunette nurse perked her head up and quickly excused herself when one nurse yelled something about April. James struggled out of bed but fell upon the floor, he crawled to the door all the while his vision turning black. But he managed to get his head out of the doorway and gaze at the frightful scene in front of him.

There April was, her arms covered in oozing blistered, half of her hair was toasted off, her face had charcoal stains and so did her chest which was covered by a hospital gown. They were prepping for surgery. April's heart monitor was beeping slowly and it seemed to be decreasing with every minute passing as her breathing mask was decreasing in the mist with every breath. James felt tears come to his eyes as he slumped to the ground and fainted.

**...**

"James, wake up honey."

It took James a couple seconds to take in the words that were dancing across his ears. He opened his cloudy eyes to the sight of the same brown eyed nurse but this time accompanied by a slightly heavy set woman sobbing in the corner of the room. From first sight he knew from her short dirty blonde hair and her black glasses that she was April's mom and he could sense that the reason that she was crying wasn't for a good reason either. From that moment on, his ears droned out the sound of the mother crying, the nurses trying to comfort her, and the brunette that was speaking to him with small beads of water in the corner of her eyes. He already knew. He knew this would happen no matter how much he wished it wasn't true or no matter how much he wanted to turn back time.

"No..." Tears welled up in James' eyes as he felt his body go limp. The first crystal tear fell as more started to avalanche down his cheeks and on his pale gown. He knew that April had joined her father that she lost so long ago in the sky; that she is in a better place now but he still wishes it was him who took the initiative to save that man. But no, she is gone and there would be no way to bring her back to Earth to hear her rant on about her passions or see her go back to high school or join her as she wrote poetry and stories. She couldn't do anything now, and James couldn't anything to stop it. April Wright is dead.

And to think that they were on their way to the library...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The next few days were dark and gloomy, despite the constant sun and little clouds. Word of April, the teen hero's death, spread like the fire that caused her demise. Her funeral was a rather large one, people from the town came to bless her kind soul goodbye as well as her mother and relatives. Even the man who was riding the motorcycle came to say his last wishes for he survived the crash with only a few fractures and burns. He was now facing charges of drunk driving and was instructed to pay for the funeral, as he felt deeply guilty that he caused this little girl's death.

James was one of the last people to stay at the grave sight, silent tears slipping from his eyes as the sun beat down on the fresh dirt that had purple and white flowers on it.

"Sure is, pretty sunny out here i-isn't it?" James heard a woman's voice say slow and quiet. He turned with bloodshot eyes to find April's mom wiping her equally red eyes as she walked closer to the gray slab of stone. She was holding a single midnight rose.

"Y-yeah."

"April would be happy with the purple flowers, not so sure about the white though. She was always a fan of the darker colors." She leaned over and placed the glistening black rose at the base of the stone. "She would've loved it."

"Y-yeah." James responded again, not sure how to respond to a surprisingly calm, yet saddened, mother. She just gave a tired smile and a single tear ran down her cheek.

"It's hard to say anything isn't it? She was and will still be my daughter and your friend. She was always so bright and positive, always willing to lend a hand and a touch of sass. No one will ever forget her."

"I... I know."

"I don't know why, b-but these clear skies, I still think that her brightness is still with us. Don't you think?" She said as she gazed up to the sky, the sun beaming on the gloomy graveyard.

"I agree, she was so cheery. She never... n-never deserved to d-die." James quivered as April's mother gave James a careful hug, letting him cry out his anger, worry, and depression.

"I know hon. I know..."

XxX

The surrounding Earth was cold and bleak as winds bashed against the large clear windows. Five figures, all with their significant differences but were alike in one way, stood around a giant globe with thousands of yellow flickering lights. The cheery decorations adorned the walls which were clad in red and white. Large beasts sauntered around with boxes decorated with colored paper, tools, and gifts, all the while muttering to each other in their own language. Something was wrong, considering the tense atmosphere that the five beings shared as they glanced at each other.

"This is our chance, this is someone we've been looking for-"

"Ya know better than that Jack, we can't be jumpin' to conclusions." A large rabbit interrupted in his Australian accent as he tapped his foot impatiently. He was adorned with three boomerangs strapped to his chest and sports bandages wrapped around his feet and paws.

"Stop it you two." A large man with red overalls, a straggly white beard, and tattoos on both forearms piped up as he stepped closer to the globe. "I agree with Jack, we're gonna need her help one way or the other."

The teenage looking boy, known as Jack, threw the rabbit a smirk. "Told you Bunnymund."

"Hush up will ya? You're not very helpful." The rabbit, Bunnymund, asked as he jabbed Jack in his side.

"I agree with North, the kids aren't as excited this time of year for us as much as they would be for someone celebrating that one day event! They aren't even excited for me, the Tooth Fairy!" A woman, who introduced herself as the Tooth Fairy, exclaimed as North muttered a 'really?'. She was nearly covered from head to toe in green, purple, and yellow feathers and had rapidly moving wings on her back. The stout man next to her nodded as an image of a thumbs up popped over his head, everything on him was a dull yellow. "Even Sandy agrees."

"I see then..." North trailed off as he rubbed his chin in thought, everyone awaiting his final answer. He perked his head up and turned to face everyone with a wide grin. "I don't see any reason not to bring her to the team! Let's go find her and tell her lonely spirit the news!" He cheered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there mate!" Bunnymund interrupted, still a little skeptical on the idea on bringing another Guardian into the tight circle of the five of them. "Exactly what holiday do we need 'er for?"

Jack raises an eyebrow as he faces the Australian rabbit.

"Duh, for Independence Day, the 4th of July!"

**I don't own Rise of the Guardians just the "OC"s in here and this story is mine. Sorry for the delay, school again. Once again it's short and I did promise the Guardians' appearance so here they are! Review if you like it's bound to pick up the pace in a few chapters and so will the length so you can count on that! **

**-Anonymous Vulture**


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